BARNARD, David T. With Skilful Hand : The Story of King David. Montreal & Kingston / London / Ithaca : McGill-Queen's University Press, (2004). First Edition. Pp (8),[ix]-x,(2),[3]-192,(6). 8vo, black cloth, silver lettering to spine. Contents : Prologue : "It has been over six hundred years since David, son of Jesse, became king of Israel. He not only established a dynasty but also became an ideal. His fame is so great that all other kings of our nation since his reign have been measured against him. Our sacred books contain stories about him, and there are official records of his heroic actsand his establishment of a system of government and worship as well as oth er practices for our nation. These ancient texts are terse: they tell the stories, but they are focused on the king himself." 1. Preparation : "The stories about David begin when he was a young man in his fatherís home and then in the service of King Saul. The God of our ancestors was displeased with Saul and intended to replace him as king of Israel. David needed time to develop and refine the qualities God wanted in a king, some of which had begun to appear while he was on his fatherís farm. But long before Saulís reign ended, David was identified as the next king - first secretly by God andthen in a growing expectation among the people." 2. Foundation : "In the f irst group of documents there is some uncertainty around David. His time with the Philistines, for example, was difficult even for his father to understand. But the lament for Saul and Jonathan seems to come from a man who genuinely mourned them, even though some others suspected otherwise. After the death of King Saul, the kingdom split in two. The tribe of Judah crowned David as their king. But the remainder of the tribes stayed together under the rule of Saulís son, Ishbaal." 3. Reign : "Bloodshed and suffering, as we have seen in the previous group of documents, followed David and those around him all his life. Is this necessary for a king, and especially for onewho claims to be Godís king? For example, what Michal reveals about her ba rrenness is hard to reconcile with the idea of David that I had before reading these letters. How could he make someone endure such suffering for so long? Did he believe that serving God as king required him to treat Michal this way?" 4. Dynasty : "The previous group of documents covered a period ofstrong forces and strong passions around David, his court, and his family. The one letter from the hand of Zeruiah makes me understand why David used the term ďsons of ZeruiahĒ to describe those - her sons and others - who w ere continually involved in intrigue and bloodshed. In the midst of her brotherís greatest trouble, she actually contemplated the possible end of his reign, presumably to the advantage of herself and her sons. In this sectionI have included some of Davidís songs to show his own expressions ..." 5. Reflection : "This ends the collection of documents on the course of Davidís life as seen by those around him. But a particularly interesting group ofwritings in the collection appears to be notes from a series of addresses that David gave at the end of his life. He had established a company of singers who would participate in the worship rituals. The chief singer was a man named Heman. These notes, if they are accurate, indicate that Heman was Davidís friend, and had convinced the king to talk about the songs that he had written for the worship rituals." Epilogue : "These documents I have given you - both the letters and Davidís addresses to the singers - have helped me to see the complexity of his life and work, but not to resolve it. Future readers may be more able than I to reconcile the apparent conflicts inthese documents. And these conflicts still remain. Even in his last song D avid confronts me with the contrast between how he lived his life and his sense that God has rewarded him by establishing through him a line of kings." Appendices : 1. Names of People. 2. Names of Places. Very good in dustjacket. Signed with inscription by the author. 30.00